Littlefield couple gets first license

By DOUG McDONOUGH dmcdonough@hearstnp.com

Published
10:48 am CDT, Monday, June 29, 2015

First Marriage LicenseDoug McDonough/Plainview HeraldTracy Weingartner (left) and Lynn Cloude of Littlefield show off their marriage license moments after receiving it Monday afternoon at the Hale County Clerk's office. Cloude grew up in Plainview and graduated from PHS in 1984, but admits that they came to Plainview since neither Lamb County nor Lubbock County are yet issuing licenses to same-sex couples. less

First Marriage LicenseDoug McDonough/Plainview HeraldTracy Weingartner (left) and Lynn Cloude of Littlefield show off their marriage license moments after receiving it Monday afternoon at the Hale County ... more

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First Marriage LicenseDoug McDonough/Plainview HeraldTracy Weingartner (left) and Lynn Cloude of Littlefield show off their marriage license moments after receiving it Monday afternoon at the Hale County Clerk's office. Cloude grew up in Plainview and graduated from PHS in 1984, but admits that they came to Plainview since neither Lamb County nor Lubbock County are yet issuing licenses to same-sex couples. less

First Marriage LicenseDoug McDonough/Plainview HeraldTracy Weingartner (left) and Lynn Cloude of Littlefield show off their marriage license moments after receiving it Monday afternoon at the Hale County ... more

Littlefield couple gets first license

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There was an audible sigh of relief from both Lynn Cloude and Tracy Weingartner on Monday afternoon after Hale County Deputy Clerk Christine Reyna handed them an official Texas Marriage License.

They didn't seem to mind either when Reyna explained that due to a mandatory 72-hour waiting period, they couldn't exchange vows until after 2:13 p.m. Wednesday, July 2.

"Darn, we were hoping to start the ceremony at 2:12 p.m.," Cloude joked. "Actually, we've been waiting 17 years, so three more days won't make much of a difference. We're still not sure when we'll have the ceremony, or who will perform it. It probably will be sometime when my parents can be there."

Another delay is to allow time for Weingartner to have her military blues refitted for the ceremony. "We don't know how long that will take, but I want to see if I can wear them for the ceremony," she explained.

Something else they didn't mind were lines of White-Out on both the application and marriage license, covering up "Bride" and "Groom." Typed over those spots were "Applicant 1" and "Applicant 2."

Cloude and Weingartner became the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in Hale County on Monday, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws prohibiting such unions in a ruling on Thursday. Most other South Plains counties don't plan to issue same-sex marriage licenses until their clerks receive new application forms and licenses, and receive additional instructions from state officials.

"We came to Plainview because we knew we could get our marriage license here," explains Cloude. "Besides, it's kind of special to come back to my hometown to do this." Cloude graduated from Plainview High School in 1984. Her father, Jack Cloude, was executive director of the High Plains Research Foundation in Halfway. The foundation's research farm is now operated by the Texas A&M AgriLife Experiment Station. Cloude is retired and lives in Lubbock.

Weingartner grew up in Houston and served in the U.S. Air Force.

They shared the $82 fee for the license, paying in cash.

Until Cloude and Weingartner walked in Monday afternoon, County Clerk Latrice Kemp wasn't sure if and when she and her staff would be asked to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, although it was something they've been preparing for since Friday when she and County Attorney Jim Tirey agreed to abide by the Supreme Court ruling.

"We'll continue to alter the forms and licenses until we get updated forms from the state, but this is something that we couldn't legally justify delaying," Kemp said.

Since announcing late Friday that her office was ready to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Kemp has been fielding a flood of inquiries from media across the region and throughout the state. In fact, a film crew from a Lubbock TV station was set up for a report outside the courthouse when Cloude and Weingartner were inside. The Littlefield couple came in and exited through the south entrance unbeknownst to the film crew set up on the north side.